Behind the Masquerade
by Soft Ripple
Summary: Bella agrees to play a part of a ridiculous pretense to avoid humiliating herself. But what she doesn't expect is the disaster she was afraid of to become her dream come true. For the Pretend Date Contest


**This here is a one-shot for the Pretend Date Contest hosted by blackandivorykeys. **

**Pretend Date Contest**

1. Cannon pairings. No exceptions.  
2. Must follow the lines of pretend dating. Be creative!  
3. Must have plot. No slash, threesome, and etc.  
4. Must be a one-shot, but it can be continued after the contest ends.  
5. Must have rules pasted into FF and mark summary with Pretend Date Contest or PDC.  
6. Must be in June 22nd, 2009, 11:59 PM EST (Eastern Time) and PM blackandivorykeys. Two entries allowed.

BPOV

I knew the masquerade ball at our school was coming up. How could I not with Alice pestering me about buying a dress for it? In fact she was getting more and more irritating as the ball loomed closer and closer. Now that her boyfriend Jasper had already asked her to it and she had bought her dress and had nothing to worry about when it came to ensuring her own enjoyment, she was more focused on convincing me to come than ever. I had been preparing myself for this disaster ever since it had been announced that the school would hold a masquerade ball. What I hadn't been prepared for was boys asking me to attend the ball with them. I had been refusing invitations left, right, and centre for the last week and a half. But that was no problem for me as I didn't mind turning the boys down.

After all, the numerous rejections were to save their toes from being trampled on by my two left feet. No, my non-existent dancing skills were not the sole reason for why I refused to go. Okay maybe it was. Alice insisted that if I found a good enough dancing partner than I wouldn't have to worry about dancing at the stupid ball, but a guy would have to be a miracle worker to make my dancing look okay. Besides, I never enjoyed myself at these things. They always ended with me sulking in the corner, bored out of my brain whilst I watched several dozen other people twirl and dance without two left feet like me.

Therefore, taking all of this into account my plan was a simple one. I refuse any invitations to the dance, sorry, I meant ball. Why the hell are they even calling it a ball anyway? It's not as though anyone in the school even knows how to ballroom dance, not that anyone these days even bother to ballroom dance at all. I mean, aren't balls a medieval invention? Back to the plan, I spend the night of the ball at home, reading and watching TV, enjoying a babysitting free night with plenty of chocolate digestives whilst no one goes home that night with broken toes which is what will happen if I decide to grace everyone with my clumsy presence.

I had everything figured out and so far my plan had been going great. So imagine my surprise when I came home that night from my babysitting duties with a date arranged to meet me at the masquerade ball on Saturday. If you want to hear the Earth-shattering story of how I agreed to make the biggest mistake of my life, well here it is:

_I had arrived at the Dean's house. Mrs. Dean had asked me to watch her daughter Angel that night whilst she and her husband attended some benefit dinner with some people. Angel is a sweet seven year old girl with long, flowing black hair and adorable blue eyes. She had rosy cheeks and freckles sprinkled on her face and arms. It's not that I have a problem with Angel. Her name fits her well. She is an angel. It's her older brother who is in my year at school who is the problem. Robbie Dean is a good-looking guy with blonde hair, blue eyes, a tall physique and a fan club of girls. It's just too bad that a handsome guy like him is such an irritating, arrogant moron. Every time I come to the Dean's residence, Robbie is there asking me on a date when I have already refused his countless offers several times. _

_He was there today, standing in the front doorway to the house after I rang the doorbell, leaning against the doorframe whilst his friend Edward Cullen (my friend Alice's brother) stood inside, waiting for Robbie to…I don't know, peel himself off the doorframe and quit gawking at me? I had no problem with Edward. He was a perfect gentleman. He and I were even friends, not close friends but we got along and talked now and then. I rolled my eyes at Edward at Robbie's inability to move out of my way. Edward grinned crookedly at me in such a manner that made my breath hitch in my throat. Okay, I admit it, if Robbie was good-looking, Edward was a living Adonis, plus he had a charming personality which is a lot more than I can say for a certain Robbie Dean. I honestly fail to comprehend why Edward even wastes his time hanging around with Robbie. He and Robbie must be really good friends because every time I come to the Dean's house, he's always there, with a heart-warming smile for me and an eager readiness to talk that sometimes confuses me. I mean, it's not like there is anything particularly special about me. _

_I had walked into the house and found little Angel in her room playing with her dolls. Angel was a fun kid to baby-sit as she was always happy with whatever I suggested we do; she was even content with just sitting with her head in my lap whilst watching TV. Things went on as they usually did from that point. Mr and Mrs Dean left, leaving me and Angel to watch TV. Angel was asleep when Robbie plopped down onto the couch next to me, much too next to me with his arm casually slung around my shoulders. I jerked out from under his arm and glared at him._

"_Come on Bella. My parents are out, Angel is asleep. We could have fun without anyone noticing." Robbie urged, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at me._

"_I'm here to baby-sit your sister, not be your prostitute" I scorned, glowering at him. _

_Robbie flushed a little before the anger took over. I guess no girl has ever spoken to him like that before._

"_Look, Bella. I like you a lot so I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that and let you come to the masquerade ball with me" Robbie growled. _

_I glared at him but just as I was about to open my mouth to retort, I heard a voice heavy with sleep mumble from my lap "Bella, what's a prostitute?"_

_I guess Angel hadn't been as asleep as I had thought. I bit back my laugh and answered "Ask your brother, Angel. I'm sure he knows all about them"_

_Angel mumbled a small sound of assent before falling back to sleep. Robbie glared at me and hissed furiously "Look girl, I am not taking no for an answer. You are coming to that dance with me"_

_Heaven help me, what is wrong with this boy? Most guys as angry as he was at me would just walk away in a huff and decide that they didn't want to go to the dance with me. _

"_Oh, I wouldn't say that if I were you" I heard myself mutter, thinking off the toes he would lose if he insisted on taking me to the dance, I mean masquerade ball. _

"_Oh yeah? And why not?" Robbie demanded. _

_That stumped me. I wasn't willing to tell anyone about my dancing ineptitudes, least of all Robbie Dean. I wracked my brain for something to say that would deter this moron but nothing came to me. But then I heard a voice that I knew was not mine because it was much too masculine and beautiful to be mine blurt out:_

"_She has a boyfriend"_

_I turned just as Robbie did, to stare at Edward who had just entered the room from the kitchen. _

_Robbie turned to me with a sceptical look on his face "Well then, who is this boyfriend?" he demanded. _

_I just burst out the first name that came to my mind which just so happened to be "Edward!"_

_Edward stared at me with wide eyes that caused me to blush. I hadn't meant to say his name, it just came out but it was his fault for spouting out that stupid lie of me having a boyfriend. _

_Robbie turned to Edward and questioned accusingly "How come you never told me?"_

_I stared up at Edward with beseeching eyes. If he could just pretend to be my boyfriend then maybe Robbie would lay off me. Edward's shoulders sagged slightly as though he had just agreed to carry the world's hugest burden. He sighed heavily as he gazed at Robbie wearily and answered:_

"_Bella and I wanted to keep it a secret for a while but since we're going to the masquerade ball together on Saturday we thought we might as well go public starting from today" _

_Did I just hear him right? The masquerade ball! I didn't want to go! If he told Robbie that we were going together than that would mean we would have to go together otherwise Robbie would suspect that we were lying to him. I glared at Edward but he wasn't looking at me. _

_Robbie having studied Edward's face carefully, grumbled a bit to himself before getting off the couch and leaving the room and as soon as I heard the front door slam indicating Robbie's exit, I turned to Edward with a scowl and said:_

"_We are going to have to go to the masquerade ball together now"_

_Edward looked at me cynically with a raised eyebrow. His expression clearly conveyed the words "No shit, Sherlock"_

"_But I don't want to go" I moaned._

"_Neither do I but unless I told him what I did, he wouldn't have left you alone and if we don't go together, he'll know that we made the whole thing up" Edward shrugged._

_I groaned as Edward's voice floated towards me from the kitchen "Don't worry, Bella. I'm sure I won't make the whole evening that dull for you"_

So, now I was going to attend the masquerade ball on Saturday with Edward Cullen. I buried my face into my pillow, trying to block out the unpleasant images forming in my head, all of which featured me making a complete fool out of myself on Saturday. All I knew right now was that I was not going to go shopping with Alice. She would make it pure torture for me. She currently thought that I wasn't going to the stupid ball which was the only reason why she hadn't already forced me to go on a shopping trip with her. I saw no reason to make her believe otherwise. It was a masquerade ball so I would be wearing a mask on Saturday which would mean that I could go to the thing and then leave later on without Alice ever noticing me. But then again, Alice would know what to dress me in and she always knew how to make me look good for the appropriate occasion. I sighed as I realized that if I had any sanity left in me, I would make the phone call that would inevitably lead to my misery as Alice will drag me across the mall, from shop to shop, to rack to rack.

I grabbed my cell phone from my bedside table, dialled the number, and waited for Alice to answer.

"Bella! I was just about to call you. I got big news for you. I found you a blind date for Saturday's masquerade ball" Alice blurted out in a fast flurry of words.

I groaned into the phone as I comprehended a new problem.

"There's no need for you to groan like that Bella. You have no reason to because this guy is a great dancer, trust me. It's all in the leading, you know, so you don't have to worry and as for your problem with shopping which I don't understand, you don't have to worry about that either because I already bought you a dress" Alice huffed at me through the phone.

I sat bolt upright in my bed as the latter part of Alice's lecture sunk in.

"Alice, you did not just tell me that you bought me a dress, did you?" I growled into the phone.

"Bella, you are impossible. You never want to go shopping yourself and you give everyone hell whenever they buy you something. How the hell are you ever going to get yourself to look good? It's a good thing you have me for a friend" Alice reproached me.

"A good friend wouldn't have given me another date to attend the dance with when apparently I'm already going with my supposed boyfriend, Edward Cullen" I snapped.

"What are you talking about?" Alice asked in a bewildered tone.

I sighed and quickly narrated to her the sad tale of Robbie Dean and how he was the cause of Edward feeling obligated to play a boyfriend charade with me. I received only silence from the other end of the phone after I had finished my explanation.

When Alice finally responded, it was only to say "I'm really glad I bought you that dress then"

"Focus, Alice, what should I do now?" I reprimanded.

"I am focused, Bella. It's obvious what you should do. Go to the ball and have fun" Alice instructed me as though this were the most obvious and infallible solution in the world.

"Alice, how am I supposed to go to the stupid dance with two guys?" I hissed into the phone. I always knew that Alice wasn't the most sanest of my friends but she had never given me any reason until now to suspect her of being utterly mental.

"Don't worry Bella. I have a feeling that everything will be alright. I'll come to your house on Saturday a couple of hours before the ball to get you ready and then we'll go to the ball. Oh Bella, you are going to love your dress. I know you're going to look fantastic in it. Oh, Jasper is here to take me out to dinner. Bye" Alice said in torrent of words that started of as soothing and reassuring, then went into an excited squeal upon the subject of my dress, and then was rushed at the end when she uttered me a short goodbye.

I shook my head as I replaced my phone back on my bedside table. I fell back on my bed, exhaling gustily. Today had been an exhausting day and it was because of this reason that it wasn't long before I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

*

I had been hoping that time would take pity on me and slow down, but unfortunately it seems that it's not only fate that hates me but time too. Saturday fell upon me all too soon and not very gently at that. Alice arrived at my house a couple of hours earlier than the ball to get me ready, as promised (sadly). Although I was unhappy with the way my dress was attained, via Alice's money. I couldn't help but marvel at the wonders it did for me.

The dress Alice had bought for me was a black x front evening cocktail dress, it was held up by a thin, black strap that went over my neck, the material clung to my few curves perfectly, and the bodice had a short line of silver studs running between my breasts from the neck of the dress ending just above where my heart was beating in my chest whilst the black fabric draped to just above my knees in soft folds. Alice had been right; I did love the dress. It was simple but sophisticated and stylish and I looked downright fantastic in it. **(Picture on my profile). **

After I had slipped into my dress, Alice did my make-up, hair, and jewellery. One thing I was grateful to Alice for in this torturous process was that she kept my make-up to a minimum, giving me as natural a look as she could; she used only some blusher, eyeliner and a little bit of silver eye shadow to match the silver studs on my dress. My hair hung in lovely, long ringlets on my back. Alice didn't make me wear a necklace as she thought that it would look too much with my dress and that it would ruin the class and style of my outfit but she did make me wear silver dangling earrings and silver stiletto heels in which I found it impossible not to stagger and stumble in. To finish it off she handed me a silver, intricately patterned mask to wear.

The end result of Alice's hard (and unwanted) work was that I looked amazing. You couldn't even tell that I was plain, simple, boring Bella Swan. Well, you wouldn't be able to until I stepped onto the dance floor. That will definitely be a giveaway. I beamed at Alice once I had turned away from the full-length mirror in my bedroom. I couldn't believe that I could look so beautiful.

"Come on, we had better get going" Alice told me.

She was wearing an ivory white sleeveless dress that that swished above her knees in a frill whilst at her waist; there was a black lace trim belt. The dress accentuated her petite, slight figure elegantly. She looked exquisite as always.

The euphoria I felt at how alluring I looked after Alice's magic disappeared as I contemplated the impending catastrophe. Alice glared at me and then dragged me out whilst I gulped repeatedly, trying to summon some form of courage within me. Alice had told me that my blind date will meet me at the dance, I mean ball. But how was I supposed to spend the evening with my date when I was supposed to be at the ball with Edward posing as my boyfriend?

We arrived at the ball where Alice led me to my blind date whose name she did not tell me but luckily she did not tell him my name either. It is at this point that I shall admit to myself and myself only, that I am eternally grateful to fate for making Alice my friend. My date, though he was wearing a mask that covered most of his face was clearly gorgeous, he was tall and well muscled, with sparkling green eyes, and brown hair that sometimes looked red, but with the dark lighting I couldn't really tell what colour his hair was, sometimes it looked black, sometimes it looked brown or red but I couldn't focus on his hair colour when his sparkling green eyes shone at me. His green eyes were so absorbing that I couldn't look away even for a second.

"Hello" he said quietly in a soft musical voice that made my heart soar.

"Hi" I breathed in a voice barely above a whisper.

He offered me his hand, his green eyes twinkling at me as he asked in a beseeching voice that seemed to erase the word 'no' from my memory: "May I have this dance?"

Even though I had only just met the guy, the way he gazed at me with penetrating intensity made me believe that he had known me for a long time and was now living a dream. But that was impossible. This guy just had a way of making me feel special as though I was the only girl in the world he could see.

"I can't dance" I heard myself answer. Wait, I hadn't meant to tell him that. But the intensity of his gaze forced honest answers out of me quite easily and almost instantly.

"That's okay. It's all in the leading, you know" he said as he grinned a heart stopping, lopsided smile at me. I could feel my heart hammering a hundred miles per minute.

Without waiting for a reply, he took my hand in his and led me to the dance floor. Seeing as I was still fascinated by his beauty, I was unable to notice that we were actually in the centre of the dance floor. My hand was still in his, so he placed it on his shoulder. This finally managed to bring me back to reality from fantasies of us walking on a moonlit stroll. I didn't want to look like a complete fool by stalking off the dance floor without dancing nor did I want my mystery date to feel embarrassed by me so I placed my other hand on his other shoulder. Then we were twirling and spinning around the dance floor like professionals.

The whole time I danced with the gorgeous guy who by some miracle was my date, I didn't worry about my dancing skills once. My eyes were locked with his throughout the entire dance. We didn't talk at all but it was like we didn't need words. We just gazed into each other's eyes as though words were useless and we needed only our eyes to converse. We didn't break eye contact once and it felt like the whole world had just melted away until it was only the two of us lost in each other's eyes, twirling and dancing without a care in the world.

It was only when I saw, over my date's shoulder, Robbie Dean enter and glance my way. It was at that moment that I remembered that I was supposed to be with Edward this evening to keep Robbie away. But I didn't want to leave my mystery date. It was magical being with him. Robbie was now staring at me. Did he recognise me? It was then that I remembered that there was such a thing at dances as 'cutting in'. But I didn't want to dance with anyone but my blind date. When I was with him I didn't have to worry about anything and I didn't feel diffident or self-conscious at all.

My gorgeous dancing partner perceived me roving the room with my eyes for Edward. Well, I don't suppose he could've known that I was looking for Edward but he did notice me looking around the room with panicked eyes.

He arched a perfect eyebrow at me as he queried "Looking for something?"

I wanted to lie to him. I really did because how do you tell your date that you're meant to be with another guy playing pretend at boyfriend and girlfriend to keep another annoying guy away from you?

Robbie was dancing with some other girl. I relaxed.

"You know, we've been dancing this whole time and we don't even know each other's names" I observed.

He chuckled as he replied "I think Alice is enjoying making the term 'blind date' much too literal. She made me swear not to tell you my name until the 'opportune moment'

It was my turn to look cynical as I questioned "Do you even know when the 'opportune moment' is?"

"I have absolutely no clue. But if you know Alice at all then you'd know that breaking a promise to her comes with a very heavy price" he informed me sombrely.

I nodded in agreement but then tensed when I saw Robbie approaching my way again. My date arched an eyebrow again and then turned his head around before I could do anything to stop him. He seemed to see Robbie because he turned back to me with narrowed eyes as he asked "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No, no. He's just a guy who wouldn't give up even after I'd refused to go out with him" I protested frantically. I didn't want this guy to think I was off-limits otherwise he might not try to pursue me. But then again, if he had eyes on him then he wouldn't even consider chasing after me.

He seemed to relax for a moment before tensing as he notified me tersely "He's coming here now"

"What?" I glanced over his shoulder to see that Robbie was indeed advancing towards where me and my date were dancing.

I stared back up at my date's face desperately as I requested him pleadingly "Please just pretend your name is Edward Cullen and that you're my boyfriend. I was supposed to pretend to be here with Edward as my date so that Robbie would leave me alone"

My date stared at me with his sparkling green eyes unfathomably before something flashed in his eyes. The next minute he was grinning crookedly at me as he said:

"Okay whatever you say. My dear girlfriend Bella" before he ceased dancing and wrapped an arm around my waist as he proceeded to lead me off the dance floor.

I was too grateful for his consent to this ludicrous charade and too overwhelmed with how erratically my heart was beating with his arm around my waist to wonder too deeply at how he knew my name. Robbie met us midway and with a resentful scowl at my date turned to me with a smile as he asked "Do you mind if I borrow you for a dance?"

My date's arm tightened around my waist as he told Robbie in an angry voice that surprised me "She's with me and we were just leaving" he snapped before leading me off the dance floor and out into the open evening air of the balcony.

Twilight glowed brightly over the tops trees of which the branches trespassed into the balcony. I breathed in the air and turned to see my date's face hovering only inches away from my own.

"You said you were supposed to be here with an Edward. Don't you think you ought to find him?" he enquired.

He was right. Edward had volunteered to play a boyfriend charade with me and for all I knew he could be in there waiting for me to turn up to play my girlfriend role.

"Yes. But I would much rather be here with you" I admitted as my face did a pretty good imitation of a red traffic light.

His sparkling green eyes twinkled at me as he leaned down and whispered in my ear "Bella, ask me my name again please"

I looked up into his sparkling green eyes; he was so close to me now that I could see some of his hair flop onto his forehead. Now that we were outside in the glow of twilight I could define that his hair was an unusual bronze colour. Wait, bronze hair, sparkling green eyes, crooked smile, gorgeous looking, could he possibly be…?

My arm reached out of its own accord to push his bronze hair out of his face. He caught my hand with his own and then twined his fingers in mine. My heart was banging against my chest painfully now. Still keeping our fingers intertwined, he used our joined hands to reach out and take off his mask. Then when the mask was off, I saw…Edward.

"You haven't asked me my name yet, Bella" Edward murmured as his face leaned in even closer towards me. Our lips were just centimetres apart.

"I already know your name…Edward" I whispered.

My eyes were now drawn towards his lips. Was it my imagination or were his eyes on my lips?

Edward met my eyes for a second when I uttered his name and then he closed the few centimetres between us and his lips were on mine. It was a short, chaste kiss but very sweet and even though it did not last that long, I felt it right down to the tips of my toes, so much so that when he drew away I was feeling light-headed.

Edward gazed into my eyes as he told me "Bella, you should know that I only ever agreed to pretend to be your boyfriend so that I might start my real pursuit of actually becoming your boyfriend"

I looked at him, still feeling a little dazed by our kiss as I said "I thought you were just helping me to get rid of Robbie"

"I only wanted to get rid of Robbie to…well, to eliminate the competition I suppose you could say. I never really liked him anyway. I only ever came to his house so that I might have a chance to see you" Edward confessed sheepishly.

"Really?"

Edward threw me a rather sardonic look as he answered "Well of course, Bella. Robbie is an idiot whose company I can hardly stand so what other motivation am I going to have to come to his house. To play with his little sister, Angel?" he finished sarcastically at which I punched him playfully in the arm.

"How long?" I asked finding myself being dazzled by his intense green eyes.

"How long what?"

"How long have you… well, been lusting after me?" I asked awkwardly blushing crimson right to my hairline.

Edward flushed a little too and seemed embarrassed as he answered "Well, I suppose since the time you and Alice first became friends. I remember thinking about how beautiful you were the first time you came to our house and then over time, I gradually fell irrevocably in love with you."

I blushed at this as I realized that the case was the same with me. The first time I had ever seen Edward I had been overwhelmed by his godlike beauty and as I got to know him better, I found that I was falling in love with him. I didn't realize that I had lapsed into silence until Edward, misinterpreting my silence asked:

"I'm sorry. Am I moving too fast? But I do love you, Bella. I've watched you from afar for a while now and I can't help being in love with you" Edward confessed uncomfortably.

"Edward, it's okay. I don't think you're moving too fast at all. I was just thinking about how I feel the same way" I replied another blush crawling up my face once again.

Edward stared at me long and hard before asking "Do you love me?"

"Yes. I do love you, Edward" I whispered barely audible but Edward heard me and no sooner had the words escaped my mouth then Edward was kissing me.

This time when we shared a kiss, it was the most passionate, heart-felt, and magical first kiss that I had ever dreamed off. This whole night felt like a dream, except for Edward's lips that moved against mine. Edward was now a part of my life and nothing could have surprised me more or made me any happier. I felt my heart soar as I realized that this was no charade at all.

**There you have it. This is my first one-shot and I'm not completely satisfied by it. But honestly who is ever satisfied with their work? Not me, that's for sure. Maybe you guys always end up being pleased with your work. But that's never really happened to me. I always find something to complain about my work.**


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